Japanese artist illustrates the right and wrong ways to carry an umbrella on public transport

Rainy days in Japan are fraught with danger, and it’s not just because of the inclement weather.

If you’ve ever been on public transport during peak hour on a rainy day in Tokyo, you’ll know how easy it is to get jabbed by other people’s umbrellas. The situation is even worse for young children, who are likely to get an eye poked out at their level if they’re not careful, as this Japanese Twitter user pointed out recently.

With weeks of rain covering the capital over the past month, and the arrival of Typhoon Lan bringing heavy downpours throughout the country, rainy days and umbrellas have been a constant companion for people in Japan recently.

After dodging one too many umbrellas during her journeys around town, one Japanese Twitter user decided to bring the topic of umbrella handling to everyone’s attention, with an interesting illustration showing some of the dangerous ways to carry a brolly.

The eight scenarios show (clockwise from top left) a man standing with the tip of his umbrella facing directly behind him, and another with the tip facing diagonally downwards, both of which have the potential to get in the way of others. Then there’s a man swinging the handle over his shoulder as he walks, a woman holding an umbrella outwards in the crook of her arm, and a man grabbing his child with the handle, which means the person behind gets a sudden unwelcome poke in the stomach. Then comes the running businessman, who throws both bag and umbrella out behind him, as does the striding businessman, albeit without the double punch of the bag. Hanging your umbrella in your hood is another one that @kutel4 has seen in her travels.

With commenters agreeing wholeheartedly with the scenes portrayed in the sketch, @kutel4 went on to provide people with advice on better ways to carry an umbrella on a rainy day.

On the top line, we can see that the preferred method is to make sure the umbrella is parallel with your body at all times, unless the tip is on the floor, when a diagonal stance poses no problems. At the end of the top row is a woman who uses a folding umbrella, which means it’s in her bag and doesn’t get in the way of anyone around her. When seated, be sure to keep your brolly inside your legs and not have it sticking out in front of you. When standing on the train, it’s acceptable to have the handle in your belt, but the triangle above this person’s head is a Japanese indicator that this sits somewhere between the “x” cross and the “○”, which is a tick of approval in Japan. Finally the one that gets on everyone’s nerves, the stair climb, requires the umbrella to be in front of you at all times.

According to @kutel4, she would love to see a pamphlet like this made available at train stations around Japan, so passengers can be made aware of the dangers posed by umbrellas in small crowded areas. Have you ever been at the receiving end of an unwanted umbrella jab while riding on public transport? Let us know in the comments section below!